Everyday Systems: nosdiet: message 2190 of 3212

Note: This is an archived message from our old discussion software. Join the current discussion here.

    

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "sunshine_11892" <sunshine_11892@...>
But what about fullness? Why is it even more difficult to detect
than hunger? Why is it so hard to instinctively know when to stop
(other than when we were infants)?

I think Weigh Down can teach us something even if we decide not to follow 
it
totally. From reading the book, I learned more about hunger/fullness than 
I
had ever figured out on my own. To know when you are full, you need to
re-define fullness. Fullness is not a "fat tummy" feeling; it's more of 
an
"I really wouldn't be upset if someone took my plate away now" feeling. 
One
thing I have learned is that you can't tell that you are full unless you
were at least a little hungry when you started. If I eat when I'm not
hungry at all, I never know when to stop. But if I begin "starved," I 
can
recognize fullness instantly when I've eaten enough...as long as I force
myself to slow down and eat normally--not wolf my food.

Fullness is more of a feeling in your brain than in your stomach--that
famous (yet mysterious) "appestat" that we've heard about all our 
lives.
You do need to eat slowly (again, as we've heard all our lives). But most
obviously (and I learned this from Weigh Down), there comes a point as 
you
are eating when the food suddenly seems to lose most of its flavor. You
have to really be paying attention to notice this, or you will just finish
the plate because there's more on it. All too often I notice "fullness"
when I have 3-4 bites left. Because I don't like to throw away good food, 
I
go ahead and finish it, but often I wish I hadn't because then I feel a 
bit
yukky. Fullness is a subtle signal but you will recognize it one of these
days. You know how fantastic food tastes when you are really hungry?
That's why it's easier to tell fullness after hunger--at some point it 
just
doesn't taste fantastic any more...in fact, it can be downright tasteless.

As for your question, "Why is it so hard to know...?" ...well, there 
are
many, many reasons for that. Right from childhood, our parents start
fitting us into their eating schedules and not allowing us to choose our
own. We get used to eating just because it's time to eat, and we pay less
and less attention to hunger and fullness. I'm not saying that's all wrong,
because I don't think parents should let children rule the household with
their own unpredictable desires and impulses. I suppose that if I had
children, I'd encourage them at meals to eat very moderately if they weren't
really hungry, and if they got hungry before the next meal, I'd try having
them "stave off starvation" with a glass of milk or juice rather than 
a
snack. I remember that when I was a kid, I had a friend whose mother would
only let her have a between-meal snack if she had it *exactly* between 
10
and 10:15 or between 3 and 3:15. If she truly got hungry between meals, 
she
had to check the clock and rush home before the deadline. At the time, 
I
thought this was silly. Now, I think that's not a bad idea. It limits the
impulsive reasons like "That looks good, I want some" or "I'm bored, I 
think
I'll eat." (By the way, my friend now is NOT fat and I am!) =)

In addition to all of that, we do learn (if we try!) that hunger passes
pretty quickly. Even if I'm painfully hungry, I don't remember it ever
lasting longer than 5-10 minutes. Another wave comes later, but at least
it's not constant.

Oh, by the way, Reinhard...

From: "Reinhard Engels" <beautiful_idiot@...>
>People nowadays don't eat because they're hungry, nor do they (usually) 
go
>to bed because they're tired. They go to bed because it's 10 o'clock 
and
>they know they have to get up at six to go to work, get the kids ready 
for
>school etc. They may also be tired, but if they're not, their not going 
to
>say "cool, I think I'll stay up and watch spectreman reruns until 4 
AM."

Ummm....I do! Not Spectreman, of course, but anything else I'm busily doing
(or reading!) is sufficient excuse. Very, VERY bad habit...another one 
I'm
trying to change, but oh, it's hard! The supplements I use eliminated my
after-work fatigue (years ago), and I am such a night person that I start
feeling really good at 9 p.m. and would probably stay up until 2 a.m. if 
I
waited till I really wanted to go to bed. I am trying to apply principles
similar to No S...but I'd be surprised if there weren't more night owls like 

me on this list. Lack of discipline doesn't usually affect only one small 

area of life!

Well, I hope some of this ramble was worth reading! It may be time to
discipline the rambling habit...but that's another long-term project.

Diane